Unconditional
by VestalDarkness
Summary: Alec Trevelyan has been consumed by a lust for revenge against James Bond, but there is also a woman who will dictate the path of his future.


**Unconditional**

Alec cradled Elizabeth in his arms and breathed in the sweet herbal scent of her long dark hair. She was soft and pliable in his embrace, her full breasts pressed against his chest and her rounded hips resting in the curve of his pelvis. His roughened hands moved over her smooth pale skin as he pulled her closer to him, her silky lips coming into contact with his collarbone. He sighed quietly as she shifted in his gentle grasp, her thigh inadvertently brushing against his groin. The sigh turned into a groan and he rolled her underneath him, watching intently as her lush hazel eyes opened and she smiled up at him.

"Hmm…" she murmured, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back so her breasts briefly caressed his chest. "Good morning, Alec."

"Good morning, Elizabeth," he purred, hunger insistent in his voice. She let her fingertips trail down his exposed throat, and his already raging erection was pressed into the soft skin of her belly adamantly. Her resulting smile pleased him to no end, and he leaned down to gently nip at an earlobe. "Where do you want me, love?"

She moaned inarticulately and ran her hands over his strong, hard chest. "Inside, Alec. I want you inside." He buried his face in her neck, making it red with kisses as he guided himself inside her. She lifted her hips to let him slide in all the way, his hands grasping her waist in order to stabilize her while he thrust in and out of her sensitive body. "Alec…" she whimpered, and he knew she was close.

"Come for me, Liz," he spoke against her mouth, giving her a deep, sensual kiss as his movements within her brought on a sharp climax. She arched her back wildly and held him steady with her legs, his body shuddering as he spilled into her. He rolled to the side as he fell to the bed, gathering her quivering body to him as sleep overtook her once more. It had been a long night.

She nuzzled his neck and whispered, "I love you, Alec." His heart jumped in his chest at the words. He loved her more than life itself, but a dark cloud hung over his conscience. A dark cloud that had to be blown away before he could continue with his life.

"I love you too, Liz," he answered, closing his eyes tightly and memorizing the feel of her. It would be a long time before he would be with her again, and even then there might be no guarantee.

_I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I hope you can forgive me._

**OOOO**

_Nine years later…_

Elizabeth laid a fresh white rose on Alec's grave, her fingertips tracing the letters as tears ran down her cheeks. There wasn't a day she didn't shed tears for Alec. He had been her heart, her fire, and every time she awoke in the middle of the night to an empty bed they had once made love in ate away at her soul. She couldn't help but hope Alec was simply unable to come back to her, biding his time somewhere until he could escape whatever prison he was in. He'd chosen a dangerous life, and anything was possible.

But nine years was a long time to be hiding.

She stood, wiping the tears from her eyes and smoothing a lock of short dark hair behind her ear. She had cut her hair after he died. It pained her too much to remember how he ran his fingers through it while they made love, how he stroked it when he held her. It had been the one thing she couldn't stand to live with. She had to get rid of something. And so her once waist-length hair now fell to her shoulders, still curly and thick, not nearly as hard to control.

Her beeper went off and she plucked it from the back of her skirt. Only one person ever beeped her. M. It was an emergency, debriefing in 20 minutes at headquarters. She replaced the beeper and turned to go.

Elizabeth turned her head and looked back at Alec's grave. She closed her eyes and saw his face in front of her. Nine years hadn't dulled the love she felt. Nine years hadn't dulled the grief, either.

"I love you, Alec," she whispered to the night air, before getting in her car and driving away.

**OOOO**

Elizabeth walked into headquarters five minutes late, only to find everything in a minor state of chaos. The satellite screen was covered in static, and a technician was randomly tapping keys trying to discover what had happened. Elizabeth nodded at M and Moneypenny, instinctively freezing as her eyes came to rest on the man standing beside them.

James Bond.

James held her eyes for a brief moment before she managed to tear herself away. Looking at him was too awkward. But his presence there told her one thing.

"Is this about the Tiger?" she asked, watching as the satellite screen flickered back to life. Her brow furrowed as she viewed the ruins of what looked like some sort of telecommunications facility. Her eyes flickered to the label in the lower right hand corner of the screen. "Severnaya… the station rumored to house the Goldeneye launch codes?"

"One and the same," James answered, moving closer to the screen, apparently looking for something. "This may have been a test."

"Some test," Elizabeth muttered, her eyes dragging over the picture, looking for anything that might be of use to her research team. "Why would they test the Goldeneye on their own satellite station?"

James reached out with a finger and touched the screen lightly. "It was a robbery. Whoever did this took the Goldeneye. They used the Tiger to get away. Look at this."

Elizabeth squinted, finally focusing on the moving blue shape that James was pointing at. "What is it?" she asked. She'd never appreciated satellite imaging.

"It's a person. And I'll bet they know who stole the Goldeneye." James looked thoughtful, a rare state for him. He was more of a spontaneous kind of guy.

"Both of you, come to my office," M ordered. "This has to be taken care of immediately."

Elizabeth cast a sideways glance at James and then followed M out of the room.

**OOOO**

Elizabeth stared out the window of the small plane, looking down at the contours of the Russian countryside. She couldn't believe her dumb luck. Stuck doing research and surveillance for James Bond on the Goldeneye mission. It was the last thing she wanted or needed at the moment. James was a part of her life she would have preferred to remove, like her hair. Unfortunately, he was much harder to get rid of.

M's words echoed in her head. "Don't go trying to avenge Alec Trevelyan. Find Janus and retrieve the Goldeneye."

Only she seemed to realize that avenging Alec was the last thing on James' mind. Losing friends was just a part of the job description. He had proved that to her nine years ago when she had gone to him for comfort.

**OOOO**

_Flashback…_

Elizabeth splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and the tear tracks on her face had barely washed away. She took several deep breaths before moving back into the hallway. James was being debriefed in M's office, and she leaned against the wall to wait for him. She wanted the story from his lips. She wanted to know how Alec had died.

It seemed like hours, but it was really only minutes before he stepped into the hallway. He turned his head to the side and met her eyes, and she immediately began to sob again. He gently took her arm, not saying a word, and led her out of the building to his car. She let him open the door for her and help her into the passenger seat. She slumped against the cold leather as James quickly drove the car to his home.

Elizabeth had no memory of going up the stairs to James' apartment. She simply remembered sobbing in his arms until she didn't have any tears left. Utterly exhausted and ragged from crying, she turned to him and said in the smallest of voices, "Tell me how it happened."

She hung on every word he said, every second of Alec's last moments in the world. James' voice was filled with compassion and remorse, and Elizabeth found herself feeling sorry for her friend. He hadn't wanted Alec to die.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he had whispered, putting an arm around her shoulders to hold her close. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved each other." His hot tears ran in rivulets down her neck as he pressed his face to her shoulder, and she held him close like he had done for her, not wanting James to bear the guilt alone.

She couldn't remember how long they held each other like that, how long it was until James stopped crying. She felt she had broken through a barrier, an exterior James held up for appearances. Then something had changed her opinion of him forever.

James' hand came up to cup Elizabeth's cheek, and his lips grazed hers too forcefully. She immediately recoiled, staring at him with fear in her eyes. What had just happened? Her heart clenched and she leapt off the couch, stumbling backwards wildly until she reached the door.

James stood up and reached out for her. "Elizabeth, please, I didn't mean…" She cut him off with a strange gasp, turning the doorknob and stepping into the hallway before looking back at him one more time.

"You killed the only man I ever loved."

**OOOO**

_Present day…_

Elizabeth twirled an errant curl around her forefinger and made sure her gun was loaded. She and James were going to meet Janus, and she was his backup. The last few days had been uneventful in terms of their fitful relationship, a fact she was glad for. The last thing she wanted was complications on a mission this important.

She and James stepped out of the car, and he pointed towards a small hill littered with broken pillars. She nodded and quietly moved towards them, stationing herself so she could see James, but anyone down below couldn't see her. She shut her mind off from everything but what was around her, focusing on the moment. Her eyes picked up every flash of movement, her ears heard every sound. She gripped her gun in her hand, finger on the trigger and ready to fire if need be.

James' footsteps moved slowly and carefully into the middle of the clearing below her, and she shifted her body against the cold stone as he came into view. Her formal wear didn't do much at all to keep her warm, and she clenched her teeth in order to keep from shivering. She watched her partner slink through the shadows, gun at arm's length. They both heard the unfamiliar footstep, and James whirled to face it. Elizabeth couldn't see anything beyond James, which irritated her. But James didn't want her to do anything without his signal, so she waited.

It felt like hours before she finally heard a voice speak. But it was the last voice she expected to hear.

"Hello, James." Elizabeth's eyes widened and she slipped from her position against the statue, grabbing hold of it as her gun clattered down the steep incline. James didn't react to the noise – his eyes didn't even move. Her breath caught in her throat and her chest tightened as her eyes came to rest on Alec Trevelyan, her dead lover.

Well, he was supposed to be dead.

But there he was, standing below her, warm and alive and beautiful. His eyes were cast upwards, looking for the source of the sound, but he couldn't see her. It was too dark, and the angle he was standing at prevented it. Her heart and mind fought fiercely as she gazed at him, taking in everything that had changed and remained the same about him during nine years.

His hair was still blond and full, clipped short against his neck and neatly coiffed. His green eyes blazed with a new fire, the fire of a man with a mission. His body was still toned and firm, she could tell, despite the clothes he wore. Her eyes came to rest on the angry scar covering the right side of his face, and her heart cried out at the pain he must have felt receiving it. Her vision blurred over with tears, and he became a streak of light in the darkness.

She wanted to say something, to call out his name and tell him she loved him, but she couldn't. It was just too overwhelming. She was vaguely aware of him speaking to James, but she'd tuned out the words. What he was saying didn't matter, what mattered was that he was alive. He was alive and as long as he would have her, she would be back in his arms.

Her silence was suddenly broken when a hand roughly grabbed her hair, yanking her upwards and away from the safety of the stone pillar. She cried out loudly, seeing Alec's head snap up at the sound of her voice before she lost sight of him. "Xenia! Bring her here!" She heard the urgent cry though the throbbing pain in her head as the Russian woman dragged her down to where James and Alec were standing.

The malice in his voice was palpable as he hissed at Xenia in Russian. "Позвольте ей идти теперь [let her go now!" Xenia twisted her hair one more time painfully before letting her fall, and Elizabeth put a hand to the back of her head, massaging her bleeding scalp gently.

"Sick, sadistic bitch…" she muttered, staying on the ground. She was too dizzy to move. It hadn't even been ten seconds before she felt strong arms wrap around her body, pulling her tightly to a strong, muscled chest. Her nose was steeped in the scent of Alec, the same musky scent she remembered from their last night together. Tears sprang to her eyes again, but this time they were tears of happiness, not tears of pain. Her arms came up around his shoulders and she gripped him tightly, burying her head in his neck and crying out in pure joy. This wasn't a dream. He was in her arms, and it was real.

His hands tangled in her short hair and he lifted her face to his. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he was showing James his only weakness, the one wild card he hadn't even dared to think of meeting on this mission. But as he took her in his arms and she pressed against him, still warm and loving after all this time, he felt nine years without her weighing on his mind, body, and soul, and he couldn't resist. He pressed his lips to hers tenderly, trying to savor her taste, but he found it almost impossible to practice any restraint. He devoured her, and she reciprocated every movement. It was like he had never left. None of what she felt for him had faded; he could feel it in her. His heart leapt into his throat and he had to stop before he began crying. She buried her head in his neck again and lay there calmly, content to just be close to him.

The blissful moment was broken by an unwelcome voice. James chastised her in his typical male superiority tone, asking, "Elizabeth, what in bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Elizabeth turned her head away from Alec's neck just slightly so she could see James out of the corner of her eye. Fury boiled beneath the surface of his skin. Did he honestly think she would give her loyalty to anyone but Alec? She was silent for another moment before she softly whispered, "You don't abandon the people you love, James."

"He abandoned you," James shot back. "He abandoned you for nine years, Elizabeth. Your loyalty is misplaced." Elizabeth felt Alec's hands tighten around her waist, and she heard the short gasp he uttered at James' words. She squeezed back comfortingly, as if to say he shouldn't worry, she didn't believe a word Bond said. Still watching James from the corner of her eye, she continued with her line of reasoning.

"It's all I've dreamt of for nine years, James. Having Alec back in my arms is what I've wished for all this time. My loyalties aren't misplaced. They aren't to the British government, and they certainly aren't to you. They're only to him." The rise and fall of Alec's chest against hers had grown more erratic as she spoke, and her own heart was racing.

James' next words were biting and bitter. "And what if he doesn't want you anymore?"

A low growl escaped Alec's lips, but Elizabeth quieted him by putting her fingers on that luscious mouth. The vibrations stilled beneath her fingers, and she reached into the right side of his jacket, where she knew his gun would be. Pulling it out, she curled his fingers around it and pressed the barrel to her chest. She watched his eyes widen in fear, and she gently shook her head. "If he doesn't want me, James, he can kill me. I won't go back with you, not when he's alive." She turned her face to Alec, her large hazel eyes glistening in the dim moonlight. "Please, Alec… if you don't want me, pull the trigger. I love you. I can't live without you."

"Stop it, just stop it," Alec murmured, throwing the gun aside and deftly scooping her up. She clung to his neck for support as he held her close to him, one arm under her knees and the other firmly wrapped around the small of her back. He glanced at Xenia. "Девочка - мой гость [the girl is my guest. Вы не будете вредить ей снова [you won't harm her again. Теперь заботьтесь о нем [now take care of him."

Elizabeth watched as James was felled by the tranquilizer dart and dragged to the helicopter. Her last thought before she and Alec departed was that he deserved it.

**OOOO**

Alec brought Elizabeth back to the safehouse, wrapping her in a warm blanket and tending to the wound on her head. As soon as he was satisfied with her state, he kneeled in front of her, putting his arms around her waist and burying his head in her neck. Warm kisses covered her skin as his tongue laved her throat.

She gently pushed him away so she could slide his jacket from his shoulders. She saw the desperate need in his eyes, and she shrugged off the blanket to untie her dress, letting the flaps fall down her heavy breasts. Alec's eyes widened in hunger, and he peeled the fabric away from her chest in order to get at it with his mouth.

God, he missed the way she tasted, the softness of her skin against his, the warmth and smell of her, the undying love in her eyes… He froze as his scar brushed against her opposite breast and she inhaled deeply. He sat back on his heels and turned his head so she couldn't see the bad side of his face. He was ashamed because of it.

Elizabeth leaned down and tilted his chin up with her hand, bringing his face into full view. "It doesn't matter to me, Alec," she murmured. "Don't turn away from me after we've been apart for so long, please."

He drew her down into his arms and held her tightly, her bare breasts brushing against the fabric of his shirt. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I don't mean to turn away. But I haven't been with anyone since that last night and…" She silenced him by putting her fingers to his lips. Astonishment mixed with tears glazed her eyes.

He tightened his grip on her and lowered his head slightly, but she brought it back up level with hers. "You've been chaste for nine years?" she asked.

He nodded slowly. "I didn't stop loving you, Elizabeth. You're the only one I've ever wanted. I could hardly stand to look at another woman after I left. But I couldn't tell you what I was planning. I didn't want you to become an accessory to my revenge, I didn't want you to have to kill anybody or make anyone hate you. You're such a kind person, Elizabeth, so loving and gentle… I wouldn't take that away from you for anything. And it was better you thought I was dead than that I didn't love you." He paused to breathe deeply as she undid his shirt and pulled the sleeves down his arms, the sensation of bare flesh against bare flesh sending an electric shock down his spine. When the shirt had finally been abandoned on the floor, he continued.

"I touch myself at night and think of you. I can still remember the way you feel. I want to feel you again, but I understand if you don't want me." Elizabeth shook her head slightly, leaned forward, and took Alec into her arms. She stroked his back with her hands and then sat down in his lap, bringing his arms around her and sliding her hips against his, feeling his erection growing through his pants. Alec squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in her shoulder, her hand tangling in his blond hair as she kissed his forehead, hot tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Alec, don't you know by now that I love you no matter what? When I told James you could kill me if you didn't want me, I meant it. I didn't wait for you for nine years to leave you again. I haven't been with anyone since that night, either, Alec, I've only thought of being with you! Every time I touched myself, every time I was alone in bed holding my pillow at night, all I thought of was you. Alec, I… I need you." She brought his face close to hers and kissed him desperately, unable to convey how she felt any other way. Alec sucked on her lip greedily, his hands touching any part of her that came in reach. He needed her too, and he'd waited nine years for her. Nine was long enough. Nine was too long.

Alec stood, taking Elizabeth with him, and carefully laid her on the bed. She arched her back towards him as he tugged the dress down her thighs until it joined his shirt on the floor. He undid her shoes and slipped his fingers into her panties, feeling how sensationally wet she was with his thumbs. Soon she was naked and moaning under his hands, and he took a moment to rid himself of the rest of his clothing before falling onto her, their arms and legs becoming entwined in an intimate embrace they both yearned for with all their hearts.

"Elizabeth," Alec said shakily, "I'm afraid I will not be able to do this for long." His burgeoning erection pressed into her soft belly, and she disentangled her legs from his in order to open them against the bed. His breath caught in his throat at the sweet sight, and he leaned down to claim her mouth again while she pushed her hips up against him.

"Please, Alec, take me. I've waited so long for you to fill me again. Please…" Her pleading turned into low moans as he found her entrance as easily as he'd been able to before he left, thrusting in and out of her with a lust he had barely contained for nine years. She began to scream his name, the cries escalating as they both moved closer to a climax. Finally, Elizabeth squeezed her muscles tight around Alec and he spilled into her, tears coming to his eyes as he spent himself surrounded by her tight sheath. There was no better feeling in the world.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he murmured, gathering her close, unwilling to ever let her go again. She sighed and snuggled up against him, burying her head in his strong chest and putting her arms around his back. Her breathing slowed as he rubbed her skin under his palm, gently tucking her head under his chin.

"I love you too, Alec," she answered. "I love you too."

As she fell asleep in his arms, the first good sleep she'd had in nine years, Alec vowed to himself that he would keep her innocent. He would not let her sacrifice her nature for his mission.

**OOOO**

Elizabeth sat on the train by the window, watching the dull scenery fly by as she twirled a curl around her finger. The nervous habit had developed years ago after she cut her hair, and she doubted she'd be able to shake it anytime soon. The only time she wasn't playing with her hair was when Alec was holding her.

"Thinking about me, love?" His silken voice flowed over her like honey, and she turned to him, clasping her arms about his neck and pressing her lips to his. He put his own arms around her waist and held her tightly, completely engulfed in the feeling of her. Half of him still believed he was dreaming.

"I'm always thinking about you," she answered softly, leaning into his warm embrace. He smiled at her, his green eyes sparkling. He was about to kiss her again when the door to the adjoining room of the train car opened. Alec's gaze hardened as he gently let Elizabeth go and stepped towards Natalia Fyodorovna Simonova.

"Natalia, it's such a pleasure to see you alive," Alec drawled. He made a slow circle around her, finally waving her off with a blithe hand. "Where's James?"

As if on cue, James came smoothly through the door, gun pointed at Alec. Elizabeth's breathing grew shallower and she put a hand on the table to brace herself, her eyes focused on Alec standing that gun barrel down like he was invincible. She didn't even see Natalia lunge at her, and one second later; she was on the floor, the woman's hands around her throat. Elizabeth kicked out in self-defense, struggling until she felt Natalia lifted away from her roughly. She sat up and backed against the wall, hands at the now tender flesh of her neck. She watched as Alec shoved James up against the wall, holding Natalia between them.

"James," Alec hissed, "You have a lot of nerve coming back here. Especially now that I have many more reasons to want to kill you." James calmly blinked and stared Alec down, ignoring Natalia's whimpers as she was manhandled by his old friend. Elizabeth watched the two men intensely, as if her life depended on it. In short, her life did depend on it. Her life depended on Alec, and James was the only thing standing between them and happiness.

"And whatever reason would you have to kill me, Alec? Besides the fact that I'm trying to stop you from taking over the world." James tilted his head almost playfully and smiled that charming smile. Elizabeth almost gagged. She had had enough of James Bond and his silly antics.

"What reason do I have?" Alec asked incredulously. "Don't you think I know when someone has touched Elizabeth, James? Don't you think I know when someone has tried to take advantage of the woman I love?" Elizabeth's eyes widened in amazement. She hadn't told Alec anything about the night James had tried to force himself on her. How did he know?

James opened his mouth to give a rebuttal, but Alec cut him off with a sharp slap to the face, Natalia still painfully held between them. "Don't say anything, James! I know you've always wanted to conquer Elizabeth. You always want to conquer women you haven't had. And the moment you thought I was dead, after you LEFT me for dead, you moved in like some hungry animal. I know how that makes her feel. It makes her feel unfaithful. And she has not been unfaithful in any way. YOU have been an unfaithful friend, and it makes me hate you even more."

Alec let Natalia go, shoving her into James' arms. He pointed his own gun at James' head. "Time to die, James." All of a sudden, the train jerked, throwing both men off balance. Natalia fell to the side as James grabbed Alec, knocking the gun out of his hands and toppling them both to the floor. Elizabeth screamed and fumbled for a gun, fingers coming into contact with Alec instead.

"Alec!" she cried as the train rocked, and he quickly pulled her down against him as the whole vehicle jolted. Grabbing one of the guns now in easy reach, he rolled over on top of her and cast a glance to each side. After making sure it was clear, he stood, pulling Elizabeth with him and protecting her with his body. He edged them to the exit and pushed it open, turning back to James before they made their dramatic exit.

"Do be a good boy and die this time, James." Alec and Elizabeth clambered onto the helicopter and flew off into the distance.

**OOOO**

Later that night at the Goldeneye facility, Alec lay restless in Elizabeth's arms. His mind had been running in overdrive since the episode on the train that day. The only time he ceased to think about it was when he made love to her. The feeling of being lost inside Elizabeth's heat could always make him forget his troubles.

Alec looked down at Elizabeth's head and ran his fingers through her thick, curly hair, kissing her forehead as she tightened her arms around him and fell deeper into his embrace. Her soft sigh was accompanied by a question. "What's wrong, Alec?" She rubbed his shoulders as her face brushed against his smooth chest. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Do you want me to give it up, Liz? Do you want me to forget about my revenge? Because if you want me to, I will. I feel so guilty about leaving you nine years ago, and I'll do whatever I can to make up for it." Elizabeth sat up, taking Alec with her, sitting on his lap and cradling his head in her chest.

"Alec, I haven't passed judgment on you for anything you've done. I know you need this. You need this to be free. Free of all the wrongs done to you in the past. Free… free for us to be together." Elizabeth hung her head so her chin touched Alec's hair. "Alec, I want to help you be free. Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it. Those bastards we used to work for are responsible for trying to bury the kind, loving person I know you are, Alec, the person you are when we're together! Instead of choosing to love you and care for you, they chose to make you a killer, a man who thought he had no will. I'll do whatever it takes to heal you, Alec, whatever it takes. You're my life, Alec, you're my heart. I won't let you die again."

Wet tears bathed her skin as he sobbed. Before her, no one had been this kind to him, no one had been this understanding. He raised his head and kissed her until she couldn't breathe, laying back down on the bed and pinning her underneath him. His mouth wandered back to hers again, giving her a series of dizzying kisses even as she opened her legs underneath him. As he slipped into her once more, his brain overwhelmed by the synapse of pleasure, he found he couldn't fathom the reason this woman loved him.

But in the end, it didn't matter, because she was with him and wanted him, and he wanted her too.

**OOOO**

Elizabeth stood anxiously watching the monitors before her. So far, everything had gone smoothly, but she knew James hadn't died on that train. Until she watched him die, she wouldn't believe it. James always had an ace up his sleeve.

Solid arms wrapped around her from behind, their embrace comforting. She leaned back into them, her eyes never leaving the screens. She was constantly scanning them for any sign of James. So far there was nothing, but she wasn't holding her breath.

"It will be all right," Alec soothed from behind her. "Even if he does come, we'll be ready for him." Elizabeth was glad Alec couldn't see the doubt on her face. She didn't want him to think she didn't have faith in him, but she was scared to death of losing him again.

She felt his lips graze her cheek gently, his hands slipping from around her waist as he moved back over to Boris and the coordinates panel. She watched his profile, calm and confident in the half-light. She was in love with him. So in love with him.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion in the adjoining room. She looked up in fear as the guards brought James and Natalia in, the girl struggling fiercely while James stared stonily at Alec. Alec met his gaze and then smiled smugly.

Elizabeth listened as Alec related his entire plan to James. He told him about the Goldeneye, the money, everything. She was biting her nails in anticipation as Boris primed the launch codes, finding them changed. Elizabeth felt her head whirl and her breathing grow more erratic as Alec screamed at Boris and Boris began manically spinning that damned pen he always had with him.

Through her haze, Elizabeth noticed James staring intently at the pen, and she remembered Q's debriefing. Three clicks on, three clicks off… James lunged for the instrument as it plunged to the floor, flinging it wide. "ALEC!" Elizabeth shrieked, her ears ringing as he threw his body against hers, using the force to spin them around and against the cold metal wall. She hit hard, Alec's body cradling her gently.

"Are you all right?" she heard him ask, and she nodded quickly, watching him dash off after James. Her heart felt like it was in a vise, and she pulled herself off the floor to move after him, finding herself blocked by an angry Natalia, yelling at her in Russian she didn't understand.

Thinking only of Alec, Elizabeth smashed her fist into the side of the woman's face, watching in fright as she crashed against the flaming wreckage from the explosion, hitting her head and lying still. Assuming she was dead, Elizabeth ran, grabbing the ladder and clambering upwards, her hair getting in her eyes as she made her way to the top of the satellite dish.

**OOOO**

Elizabeth emerged into the bright sunlight of a tropical day. She looked around and saw Alec boarding the lift. Dashing after him, she leapt on at the last moment and glanced at him, her face pleading. He grabbed her and kissed her hard, his whole body yearning for her. As he pulled away, he murmured, "Just one last time, Liz, and he's gone. Away from us. We'll have all the money in the world and we can have a life together, away from England, away from them, away from everything!"

"Alec, I don't want to lose you to that!" she wailed, clutching him tightly. "I'm scared, Alec, I'm scared of losing you! You're the only man I've ever loved, the only man I ever WILL love! I can't lose you again, not again, Alec, I would die!"

A bullet flew past her head and she looked up, watching James' form dash towards the pinnacle of the satellite structure. "Alec, please," she mumbled, sliding to her knees with him as they shrunk back against the bullets.

"Once and for all, Liz," he answered. "Once and for all." He jumped off the lift and followed James' path upwards. Elizabeth was about to cry out in anguish when she noticed the gun laying on the floor of the lift. How…? But no matter. She picked up the weapon, made sure it was loaded, and began to pursue the two double agents.

**OOOO**

At the top of the satellite, protected from high winds by only two flimsy walls and a ladder, Alec and James fought. Elizabeth dragged herself upwards with one hand, gun clutched firmly in the other. She was not going to let James kill the only man she'd ever loved again. It was time to even the score.

She caught them both off guard. Alec toppled backwards into her arms, and she wrapped one around his chest as she pointed the gun at James. "You've had enough adventures, Bond. It's time they ended here."

"Elizabeth!" James laughed. "You wouldn't kill me, you're not capable of it! I know you, you're too kind, too soft… You're a woman, and women like you don't kill people!"

"Is that the best you can do for last words, James? Well, I have several for you…" She narrowed her eyes and leveled the barrel of the weapon. "Oh, don't they?"

The single gunshot rang out, echoing in the dish as James fell backward to the floor. Elizabeth dropped the gun, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Alec reached up and gathered her into his arms, stroking her hair and whispering gently. She broke the moment by saying, "Alec, we have to get out of here." As if on cue, the helicopter swung by to pick them up, and they leapt on, safe in the cocoon of the Tiger as the Goldeneye went off.

Several minutes later, the entire facility exploded.

**OOOO**

_One year later…_

Alec stepped out onto the porch, breathing in the crisp island air. He stepped over to Elizabeth, slipping his hands around her rounded stomach and feeling the baby kick as he caressed her skin. His smile, though small by nature, lit up his face. Elizabeth loved to see it.

Neither of them existed any longer by public record. The money they had taken was never traced. James Bond, the only possible threat to their life together, was gone. Everything had turned out just right.

"What are we going to tell our daughter about us, Elizabeth?" Alec asked quietly, looking at the evening sky, at the hues of purple and pink as the sun set. Elizabeth leaned back in his warm arms, and he cupped her belly in his large hands. She was eight months pregnant. He was going to be a father.

"We'll tell her the truth, Alec," she answered thoughtfully. "The truth about two good people forced into darkness by circumstances uncontrolled by them. We never wanted that life, Alec, we never asked for it. Let's just be content with what we have now, please. I want to pretend it never happened, that we've been this way forever. Can you give me that?"

Alec smiled as the sun dipped below the horizon, and he rubbed Elizabeth's stomach gently. "Anything for you, my sweet," he answered. "Anything for you."


End file.
